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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What does Paul look past the snow to see in answering Miss Buell's question?

2. What happens to the postman's footsteps, as Paul recalls?

3. What does Paul tell his mother it would be fun to be in Part 1?

4. What does Miss Buell have on her desk?

5. What does Paul do with his secret?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the snow take over Paul's room, according to the author's description?

2. What does Paul's mother tell him at the end of Part 1, and how is his response significant?

3. When and how did Paul's secret start?

4. How does Paul describe the sidewalk?

5. How is Paul's confusion depicted in Part 1?

6. What does the doctor have Paul do to test his eyes, and what is the result?

7. How does Paul view the snow at the beginning of Part 4?

8. How does Paul describe his shoes and the steps he is taking?

9. What reasoning does the snow give to Paul for the increasing darkness?

10. How does the author display Paul's intelligence level?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Aiken keeps the reader's attention through flowing lines and poetic descriptions. Analyze his writing style, including examples of its effectiveness and why it works so well with this particular story. Also, describe how the style changes with the tone and pace of the story.

Essay Topic 2

The doctor's examination is a crucial turning point in the story, and for Paul.

1) Describe the doctor's personality and characteristics. How do they add to his ability to evaluate Paul accurately?

2) Describe Paul's interpretation of the doctor and his actions. How does he view himself in comparison to the doctor? Why?

3) What is the major discovery that the doctor makes about Paul? How does he make it? Why does the author choose this character to make it, and how is it important to the story?

Essay Topic 3

Describe the origin of Paul's secret, explaining each part of it in detail and why it is significant. Also, explain any metaphors the author uses to portray the impact of the events leading up to Paul's discovery.

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